Tennis racket or the like



F. G. .l. TOURNIER. TENNIS RACKET OR THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED nmao, 1920.

1,409,621. Patented Mar- 14, 1922.

-' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK GASPARD JAMES TOURNIER, OF ISLINGTON, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO ARTHUR JAMES EDWIN NAPPER, OF BALHAM,

LONDON, ENGLAND.

rnNNis RACKET on THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

Application filed December 30, 1920; Serial No. 434,113.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnonru'on GASPARD JAMES Tommrnn, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 143 Shepperton Road, Islin ton, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Tennis Rackets or the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tennis rackets or the like, of the kind in which the holes for the reception of the gut strings are formed wholly or directly within the frame there- 'of, that is to say without the introduction of any intermediate member, such as a web or plate attached thereto, and provided with perforations for the reception of each of the gut strings.

According to the invention the holes are so arranged in the frame of .the racket for the reception of the gut strings that in stringing the racket not more than one string passes through the same hole.

For this purpose the frame of the racket is provided with string holes or passages,

extending therethrough, from the outer surface to the inner surface of the frame, all of said passages having their interior terminal apertures located in substantially the same plane, and each separated from its adjacent 80 apertures sufficiently to prevent the contact of strings in or closely adjacent to the frame, the exterior terminal apertures of the string holes or passages being located in different planes so chosen as to enable the racket to be strung as aforesaid, and certain of said exterior apertures being connected by grooves in the outer surface of the frame, with the adjacent aperture for the same string, only one string extending through each of the string holes or passages.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a sectional face view of the tennis racket, and

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

The stringing is effected in the vertical direction by passing the string through the hole a then up to the hole a along the groove Z2 and through the hole a down to the hole a then through the hole a up to the 60 hole a and so on through the various holes until the hole a is reached, the other half is strung vertically in a similar manner.

The stringing in the horizontal direction is effected by commencing at the hole 0 then leading the string to the corresponding hole 0 on the other side of the frame and along the groove therein to 0 back to the hole c and so on to and through the hole 0 to the corresponding hole on the opposite side of the frame.

By stringing the tennis racket in this manner, so that not more than one string passes through the same hole, several advantages are attained over the mode of stringing hitherto adopted. For example the risk of damaging the strings during the stringing operation is avoided as in the present mode of stringing, where a string has to be passed through a hole already containing another string, the operator inserts an awl into the hole for the purpose of clearing a way for the second string and the awl thus inserted presses upon the string already in the hole and is liable to crush or otherwise damage it with the result that it is frequently weakened and also when the second string has been passed through the hole both strings are apt to be damaged as a result of the friction set up between them when the second string is drawn over the first string to bring it into tension; furthermore the strength of the racket frame is increased as the necessity of making a number of large holes and deep grooves to accommodate more than one string is avoided, moreover when the racket is in use the movement of the strings which takes place as a result of striking a ball does not produce a rubbing effect of one string upon another in the holes formed in the racket frame which movement tends to unduly wear the strings.

Claims 1. A tennis racket having its frame provided with string engaging passages extending therethrough, and having their interior terminal apertures located substantially in the same plane and spaced apart to prevent the contact of strings in or immediately adjacent the frame, and strings extending through said passages and across said frame, said passages being arranged entirely around the frame and adapted to each receive a single strand of string only.

2. A tennis racket having its frame provided with string engaging passages extending therethrough, and having their interior terminal apertures located substanterior terminal apertures 01": said passages being located in different planes, and certain of said exterior passages being connect, ed 'by grooves, With the adjacent passage for the same string, said grooves arranged to receive a single strand of string only.

3. A tennis racket having its frame pro vided With a plurality-of transversely extending string receiving passages, said lassages having their inner exits spaced apart and lying in substantially the same plane and having their outer exits lying in different planes with relation to their innerexits and with relation to each other, and strlngs extending through said passages and across the frame both transversely and lonsaid passages being of such gitudinally,

passage of a single diameter as to admit the string only, and a single string engaging each of said passages.

FREDERICK GASPARD JAMES TOURNIER. 

